Water, The Source of Ice
by Clarixe
Summary: After the girls get drunk, Gray has to take care of a certain water mage. (Set during their training camp as a preparation for the Grand Magic Games) - a GRUVIA oneshot-


Pre-fic note: This is a fiction based on the events during the training conducted by some Fairy Tail members before the Grand Magic Games (OVA: Fairy Tail's Training Camp). All those italicized conversations are not from me. They are actually copied exactly from an English subtitle of the OVA. I wish to acknowledge the translator but the name was not mentioned. :(

**Water, The Source of Ice**

"I'm revved up!" Natsu exclaimed, "It's decided then!"

Gray's eyes transferred from the flamebrain dimwit to the armor-clad mage, Erza. She was smiling confidently as she rose from her seat and watched the other guildmate's reactions. The members of our table rejoiced as well. The joy from members of Fairy Tail cannot be contained as well. Lucy and Levy were laughing as they discussed their vacation plan while Wendy, Charle and Happy were chatting about their training. Troy and Jet, on the other hand, were fighting over who gets to swim with Levy.

The ice-make mage sighed from his seat. It was decided – there is a need for a special training to fill in their seven-year gap after the incident on Tenrou Island.

His eyes wandered around the other tables in the pub. The other members were also planning their own training camps.

He thought, "I have to be stronger. This time, there will be no distra-"

Before he could finish his thought, his eyes stopped at a certain water mage. Drinking a glass of juice alone, she was sitting on a wooden stool at the counter. Gray doubted whether to approach her or not but decided the first one. He sighed heavily and stood from his seat.

As Gray approached her, he couldn't help but notice how properly she sits. She was sitting with her two legs closed to each other. Her left hand rested on her lap while the other held her glass of juice. Sometimes, the ice mage wonders how such a person can be a vessel for two different personalities – being proper and being crazy.

"Juvia," he called her. She did not look back. Instead, she was staring at her lap.

Gray immediately sensed that something is wrong. In a usual situation, she would hurriedly become clingy. The raven-haired man asked as he sat on the stool next to her, "Is there something wrong?"

"Juvia doesn't have any plans," she replied in a murmur.

"Huh?"

"The others already have a plan for their training," she elaborated as she remained staring at her lap, "Juvia asked Gajeel if she can come with them but he refused to let her join because it's a secret training according to Lily."

"You may join us," Gray almost shouted as he looked at the other members of the guild, as if waiting for an approval. The others smiled at him. He continued, "We're off to a beach to do our training."

Overhearing Gray's statement, Erza added, "Juvia, we will be glad if you will join us."

She lifted her head to look straight at Gray and her eyes immediately lit up as she muttered with an evil smile, "Gray-sama has invited Juvia to train with him!"

Gray smiled as he thought, "At least, I can tell that she's already fine."

He rose from the wooden stool and went back to his original seat. If there is something he always wants to see – it is the cerulean-haired mage's smile. This is something he cannot understand.

"_Listen up!"_ Erza exclaimed while wearing a black two-piece bathing suit. Both her hands were placed on her hips.

The sun was shining brightly and it was extremely hot. The beach was not secluded as other people aside from the members of Fairy Tail were there to enjoy the water's coolness and the sun's heat.

The Fairy Tail members gathered around the requip mage. Most of the boys were wearing summer shorts while the girls were wearing two-piece bikinis.

Gray couldn't help but notice from the corner of his eyes that the water mage was not wearing a summer outfit. Instead, she was wearing long-sleeved azul dress with a dark blue muffler embezzled with white fur along the edge as she held out her pink umbrella to protect herself from the sun. He thought, "how can she stand the temperature with such clothing?"

"_The purpose of this training camp is to restore the blank left by being sealed away for seven years and win the Grand Magic Games in three months_," Erza continued, _"I want everyone to raise their magical power during this camp."_

"_Okay_," everyone answered in unison.

Erza smiled and added, "_However, just for today, you're free to do what you like. At times like this, it's important to let loose a little_."

"_Yeah!"_ everyone smiled and exclaimed. Everyone seemed to be happy with the news but Gray noticed that Juvia remained standing with a weak smile on her face.

"_Time to let loose,"_ Natsu clenched his fists as he looked at the ocean. This made the ice mage look at the water too and said, _"the ocean is calling us!"_

"_I'll race you to the coast,"_ the dragon slayer challenged. This is an opportunity that Gray cannot resist.

"Not if I make it there first," Jet joined in as he started to use his high speed. As he rushed towards the coast, he yelled, "_eat my dust!"_

A gust of sand whirled towards the fairy members. Gray covered his eyes with his right arm. A few seconds after, the sand settled down and he opened his eyes.

"Wh-," he was speechless. He was expecting to be buried under a mountain of sand but realized that he remained harmless. A shadow was behind him and he looked at the person casting it. It was the water mage, again.

"Juvia!"

It was the only word that came out of his mouth – the name of the water mage who is always there to save him. He almost stuttered as he stared at her face.

She muttered shyly, _"it was nothing."_

She was blushing furiously as he observed the redness of her cheeks against her porcelain face. As a drop of sweat trickled across her forehead, Gray couldn't help but wonder, "why is she wearing such outfit in this kind of place?"

"_Anyway, Gray-sama_," she continued. The redness of her cheeks brightened even more as she set her gaze away from the ice mage. Gray gulped and blushed slightly. It was unlikely of him to look at Juvia in that way.

He tried to set aside his thoughts about the cerulean-haired lady and looked around him. He thought, "I need to find a way out of this."

The ice-maker took a glimpse of the pink-haired dragon slayer who was about to make his way to the ocean.

Juvia continued, "_I bought a new swimsuit for today. I have it on under my dress but I want you to see it first so could please take it off –"_

Gray used the opportunity of racing with the dragon slayer to escape from Juvia. It wasn't because he likes the girl but because he fears that it may be otherwise. As he looked back at her, he felt sorry when he saw the water mage's reaction. It was a combination of surprise and disappointment.

A part of him wanted to go back to her but the thought of showing this side of him is too much.

He thought, "just have fun, Juvia."

It was nightfall yet he hadn't seen Juvia since the destruction of the cottages at the beach. He cannot help himself but wonder where the cerulean-haired mage went to.

He was sure that the water mage certainly did not go with Lucy and Levy whom he saw playing around the beach or with Erza, who was sleeping under an umbrella. The thought of Juvia with Wendy, Charle and Happy was not possible too as the three were building a sand castle near the boys.

"Should we check on the girls?" He asked Natsu.

"They're probably in the inn already," Droy answered.

"Let's go back, then." Jet suggested.

The group of boys nodded and went back to the inn.

Gray looked around the place as they proceed to their room. He muttered under his breath, "_Man, what a run down inn_."

"_Oh yeah_," Natsu replied, "_when we last went here, we stayed at an awesome hotel._"

"_Did you forget_," Gray reminded the pink-haired guild mate, "_we got to stay there because Loki gave us the tickets."_

"_Well, with the way our guild is now,"_ Droy laughed, _"this is all we can afford."_

"That aside," Natsu grumbled, "I'm hungry."

"Alright," Jet replied, "let's stuff our faces!"

Droy and Gray opened the door as the four of them were thrilled about their supper but what they witnessed was something they did not anticipate at all.

"_Who did this?"_ Natsu asked.

Gray saw empty bottles of beer on the floor while the five girls were out of themselves. Even Charle, an Exceed, was beyond her usual demeanour. The five girls were already drunk.

Out of herself, Wendy was already lying on the floor while Erza was looking furious. On the other hand, using her right elbow as a support, Lucy was drinking casually with the side of her body on the floor. Levy was laughing while Juvia was excessively crying over Wendy.

"_Who let the women drink all the booze?"_ Gray asked.

"_The food,"_ Droy stuttered as he looked at the empty bowls and plates, _"they ate all of it."_

"I don't believe this," Natsu commented as his brows met, "why are you all drinking?"

Gray has never seen Juvia that drunk. Every time the guild has a party, he always sees Juvia drink casually but not excessively. He frowned but cannot explain himself as to why he found himself angry for seeing Juvia in a drunk stature.

"_Landlady!"_ He shouted, _"why is there booze here –"_

Before he even finished his sentence, he felt a hard thump on his head.

"_Shut up, Gray,"_ Erza answered back after throwing a bottle of beer at Gray, "_Get a refill on the booze."_

He looked at Juvia who continued to cry "Wendy hang in there" over the sky dragon slayer.

"I will not tolerate her drinking –" and another bottle of beer was thrown at him. The ice-make mage was referring to Juvia. Her excessive crying, even though it was because of alcohol, is something he cannot endure. As he felt a heat radiating from a certain spot of forehead, he assessed whether to stop her from drinking or let her be.

"_Don't do that. No fair!"_ Juvia cried to Erza, "_Gray-sama is Juvia's."_

Gray closed his eyes and stood up. He decided to accompany the water mage so that he can prevent her from drinking more alcohol. He sat on a unoccupied spot and asked the cerulean-haired lady to sit beside him. Juvia hurriedly went to his side, knocking down several plates. The ice-maker just sighed at the sight of the lady.

He couldn't help but notice that instead of wearing the dark blue long-sleeved coat, the water mage was wearing nothing but a robe. Instead of the well-swept hair with a twirl on the edge, Juvia had her hair down. The color of hair brightens in contrast with her pale complexion. He blushed instantaneously.

"_Have a drink_," she offered him a bottle of beer as she clung her arm around the ice mage's arm. Gray felt the softness of her breast on his arm.

"_Hang on a sec,"_ he stuttered as he blushed furiously. He remembered the first time they met and the sudden accident of having his hand on her breast. He felt a fire inside his stomach.

"_Hey,"_ he tried to move back but Juvia's arm did not allow him.

Suddenly, tears started to form from the corner of her eyes as she blushed furiously. She cried, "_Gray-sama."_

"_You wouldn't look at Juvia in her swimsuit all day_," she confessed while wailing, _"Juvia was so lonely."_

"_Well,"_ Gray continued to stutter, _"uh… hold on…"_

He couldn't compose his thoughts. He did not know if it was the closeness between the two of them or the thought that he tried to look for her after the destruction of several cottages at the beach but did not find her anywhere.

"_Juvia wanted you to atleast have a drink with her, but if you won't,"_ she continued, "_you might as well drink Juvia!"_

The lower part of Juvia's body turned into water. Gray noticed this. He knew the meaning of Juvia's turning into water – her present emotions were at an extremity.

"_Someone!"_ He yelled as Juvia hugged her tightly. He can smell her hair – a mixture of booze, vanilla and sea. He knew that he had to retreat. He knew that he had to get away from her, _"Help me, please!"_

As Gray scanned the entire room, he realized that no one was there to help him. Jet and Droy were being punished Erza; Happy was being treated as a horse by Charle; Natsu was petting Lucy. The two other girls, Wendy and Levy, were already drunk as well. He frowned and muttered, "I have no choice but to do this."

He let go of himself out of the water mage's embrace and stood up. Juvia cried even more as she wailed over and over, "Gray-sama does not like Juvia."

The water mage returned herself to her normal form and stopped crying.

"Gray-sama," she hiccupped, "why don't you just tell Juvia that you don't like her?"

"Juvia, maybe you should get some rest," Gray refused to answer the question. He figured out that the more they stay inside the room along with the other members of the guild, the higher the chance that Juvia would drink more. He, then, picked her up and carried her on his back, "you're not well."

"Gray-sama, why don't you tell Juvia now?"

"Can you still figure out where your room is?" Gray asked as he opened the door of the room, "you need to get out of this room."

"Juvia knows. It is at the end of this hallway," she cried as he walked outside the room, leaving the other fairy members inside, "Juvia also wants to remain this way."

He remained silent. He could feel the coldness of her arms.

"Juvia drank because she wanted to forget," she cried. He could feel her tears on his neck. He sensed that it was not the alcohol talking.

Juvia continued, "she wanted to forget all her disappointments."

He stopped outside her room. His eyes lowered.

"Juvia is always disappointed that Gray-sama does not think of her."

"You're wrong, Juvia," he muttered as he opened the door of her room, "what made you think that I do not think of you often?"

They entered the room. Gray laid Juvia on her bed. As he was about to walk away, Juvia caught his hand.

"Juvia always tries to catch your attention," she hiccupped, "always."

His eyes widened at the touch of their hands. It was not like those regular hand-touching that they have done before – the day they did a unison raid and the day they thought that they're going to die on the hands of Acnologia. It was different.

He looked back at her and smiled, "Juvia, you don't have to."

"I don't get it," Juvia cried.

He sat on the edge of her bed and looked straight into her eyes. The two pairs of dark blue eyes met.

"Juvia Lockser, you have no idea how much I have repressed my feelings for you," Gray answered as he stroke her cheek, "and how badly I want to reciprocate your feelings."

Juvia remained silent.

"But I am always thinking that it's not the right time yet," he continued, "I want you at the right moment wherein we will no longer have our doubts about ourselves or about each other."

"But," Juvia tried to intercept but Gray sealed her lips with his finger.

"Listen to me, Juvia," the ice-maker said, "I am willing to wait for the right moment for you to be mine, even if it takes me a lifetime. Can you wait for that moment too?"

She nodded.

"Juvia won't remember this," Juvia giggled, "won't she?"

"I hope so," Gray answered before he placed his lips on hers, "sleep tight, my water."

As they shared their tender kiss, he thought, "because like water, the source of ice, you are my source of happiness."

**fin**

Author's Note: It's been a while since I last wrote for this site. I think it's about time that I come back and write for my recent favourite anime – Fairy Tail. Constructive criticisms are accepted and most appreciated. This is for all the Gruvia fans out there.


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